


Thank You Five

by v4mpiregerard



Category: My Chemical Romance
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, College, Gen, My Chemical Romance References, My First Fanfic, Rocky Horror Picture Show References, The Umbrella Academy (TV) Spoilers
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-27
Updated: 2020-10-30
Packaged: 2021-03-08 18:00:28
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,275
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27220855
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/v4mpiregerard/pseuds/v4mpiregerard
Summary: Ray and Frank are the exact opposite of theater kids, and Mikey just wants to focus on photography. Frank got a scholarship to this college for baseball and he eventually wants to become a psychologist, and Ray wants to be an optician. But now they were being forced to join their college's production of The Rocky Horror Picture Show because they need credits.Let's see how well this turns out.
Comments: 3
Kudos: 19





	1. Columbia

**Author's Note:**

> hi !! this is the first fic i'm officially publishing :) it stemmed from a college au i came up with this morning, centering around rocky horror. i like writing, but i never do anything with the stuff i write, so i figured why not post this? this was really fun to write, even if it's just the first chapter! hopefully at least one person likes it. 
> 
> anyway, feel free to follow me on twitter if you want, my user is v4mpiregerard!

Most people went to college because their parents had this outlandish idea that they were going to become a doctor and find a cure for some rare disease, or come up with some life altering invention. But Gerard Way wanted to be an actor; specifically on Broadway. He knew it sounded stupid; most kids were involved in school plays because they had to, and then forgot about it the first chance they got. For him, acting offered an escape and distracted people from his speech impediment. At this point it was hardly noticeable, but that's only because he had been acting for years and gone to speech therapy. It slipped out sometimes though, and his brother Mikey tried to ignore it and act like nothing happened while Gerard replayed the sentence in his head and tried not to cry. But it was getting better, and he knew that. The application process for colleges had been slow and tedious, and Gerard frankly didn't want to apply anywhere in Jersey, but his mom insisted on it.

"Gerard it's bad enough that your brother wants to go to school in Pennsylvania, can't you stay home, or at least go somewhere in-state?"

Gerard knew that Mikey wanted to get as far away from their home state as possible, and he didn't have the heart to tell her that Mikey actually wanted to go to school in California.  
His brother had always been really into photography, to the point where lenses and angles were all he ever really wanted to talk about. He would always sit in the backyard and direct Gerard around; taking pictures of him with their dad's old disposable camera. When Mikey was fourteen Gerard had saved up enough to buy him a professional Canon camera, and he had tackled his brother to the ground in joy, and then proceeded to ride his bike around their neighborhood, taking pictures of random benches, trees, and squirrels. 

But now they were both in college.

When it had been time to give his application to the guidance counselor, he ended up applying to only schools in New Jersey, despite having his heart set on going to New York and experiencing Broadway up close. His guidance counselor, Mrs. Hartford had given him a confused look and urged him to reconsider. Gerard just shook his head and left because he knew it was the final day for applications, and if he stayed in that office any longer he would be signing himself up for auditions across the country.   
So, Gerard found himself going to one of the only state schools with a drama program, and it honestly wasn't as bad as he was expecting.

It was now his sophomore year, and he sat at the edge of his bed, staring at the flyer in his hand. He had picked it up on his way out of the drama room. The letters on the top read "THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW! AUDITIONS FRIDAY!" He knew he could get his course credits just by being a stagehand, but at the same time he always wanted to be Columbia. There was just something about her shimmering gold outfit and red hair that made Gerard want to get up on stage and be her. If he was being honest, she was the reason why he dyed his hair red in the first place. 

The doorbell to his apartment rang and he quickly shoved the paper back into his book bag. 

"Who is it?" He asked while looking through the peephole on the door.

"Who else would it be?" An impatient voice answered.

Gerard rolled his eyes and opened the door. "My date," He replied sarcastically.

His brother pushed through the door and ran straight to his fridge. "You got any Cap'n Crunch?"   
He asked while looking for the milk. He found an old carton and sniffed it and then recoiled. 

"Dude, how long has this been in here? Mom would go crazy if she saw what your fridge looked like."

"Yeah, well at least I'm not still living at home." 

"I'm sorry I'm not a sophomore like you, Mr. A-dult. Hold on, let me just fast forward to my birthday."

Gerard laughed and smacked him on the arm.

"Come on, we can go pick up some milk and cereal from the store. I'm running low on coffee anyway."

Gerard didn't know how to explain it, but Mikey still walked like a kid. He kept his knees ridged and sort of stumbled along, swaying as he went, and stared up at the buildings and trees as if he were looking for the best angle to take a photo. And he usually was. Gerard on the other hand, walked like an old man, and he knew it. He usually arched his back a little and walked swiftly along, as if he wanted to get to the corner store before they sold the last daily newspaper. His five layers of clothing and scarf also added to the elderly man-look. 

But hey, it wasn't his fault that Jersey was always cold as shit, even at the beginning of September. 

When they got to the store, Mikey ran straight towards the cereal aisle and groaned when he saw that there was only Peanut Butter Cap'n Crunch left. 

"Does this place ever stock up? They were out last week too! We should just save up for a car so we can go to Keyfood."

"You seriously wanna save up money just so you can go to Keyfood to buy cereal?" 

Mikey shrugged and started loading up the cart with a bunch of junk that Gerard really couldn't afford. He had to jog down the produce aisle to catch up with his lanky younger brother, who was purposely avoiding anything with even a hint of nutritional value.

"So how was your first week of freshman year, anyway?" 

"Exactly how you would expect it to be, I guess. I got called Michael by all of my professors which kinda got on my nerves. But I did get recognition for my first photography assignment. Something about how I should apply for some award."

He mumbled the last part but Gerard heard him perfectly. 

"Mikey, that's awesome! I'm fucking proud of you dude." Mikey hated it when his brother treated him like a kid who got an A+ on a spelling test, but he also kinda liked it honestly. 

When they got back to Gerard's apartment it was already past 7:00. 

"Do you mind eating your cereal quickly? I have some homework to do. Y'know, psych and stuff." Mikey didn't believe him, but he made himself a bowl of cereal and then left right after, anyway.

Gerard showed him to the door, and then sighed with relief when he realized he could finally practice in peace. It's not like his brother wasn't supportive of him or anything. He just didn't know how he would react to him wearing sparkly clothes and a full face of costume makeup. Gerard had always been kinda androgynous though. 

Mikey would find out eventually if I get the part, he reasoned with himself. 

He looked through his closet and found the cheap gold suit he had ordered for Halloween from Target one year, because Mikey had begged him to be Elvis. They had gone trick-or-treating all over their town and the neighboring one that year, and then stayed up watching 80's horror films until Mikey started vomiting from eating like eighty Butterfingers. Gerard had to sit next to him in the bathroom and sing all of Elvis's top hits to calm him down. He had carried Mikey up to his room and tucked him in, and then crept back downstairs to watch Rocky Horror for the first time. The red lips of Magenta appeared on the screen, and the song Science Fiction/Double Feature filled the room. It was catchy, and thirteen year old Gerard was hooked. When he saw Columbia he glanced down at his own shiny outfit, and instantly knew that he wanted to play her on stage one day.

It still fit him; it actually fit better now that he had grown about eight inches, and it appeared almost cropped like hers. He sat down at his desk and turned on the small lamp, which cast a dim light in the now dark apartment. He quickly pulled up a picture of her on his phone but ultimately decided he would just wing it. The concealer was a little too dark for his complexion, but he blended it in with his fingers and made it work, and then drew on her thin, red eyebrows. When he was finished he sat back and laughed a little, mostly because his eyebrows looked kind of ridiculous. He stood up and looked in the mirror, and felt pretty good for once. 

And then his doorbell rang. 

Again.

He silently cursed and ran to the door. 

"Can I help you?" 

His question came off ruder than he intended, but he was just hoping it wasn't Mikey.

"Hey! My name's Frank and I think we have, uhh, econ together? You're Jared, right?"   
Gerard stood there, debating opening the door. 

"Yeah, we have econ together. But my name's Gerard, not Jared. Look, what do you want?"

"Oh, sorry, yeah, Gerard. I was wondering if I could talk to you about Mr. Fisher's Intro to Drama course? I kinda have to take it because I need more credits."

"Can't this wait until tomorrow?"

"The application is sorta due at midnight tonight..."

Gerard opened the door and sat down on the couch in his living room. The guy, Frank, came in and plopped down on one of the bar stools by the kitchen. His hair was a brassy orange color, probably from a failed dye-job. He was wearing baggy black jeans that looked like he had hacked them with a pair of craft scissors, and a t-shirt promoting what seemed to be a local band. His Converse had a bunch of random lyrics scribbled on them, and he was wearing a necklace shaped like a guitar pic. Wait, no, it was a guitar pic. It looked like he drilled a hole through the pic and shoved it on a black string. Gerard really wanted to ask what this kid was doing playing college sports, but instead he asked, "How is the application due tonight? Classes started last week." 

Frank sighed and leaned on Gerard's kitchen countertop. 

"Yeah, but I got lectured on how I'm a bright student and how my sports scholarship could be taken away, and how they were going to be 'generous' and give me an old application." 

"Sorry about the outfit by the way, I was gonna-"

The realization of Gerard's shiny outfit seemed to suddenly dawn on Frank. 

"Holy shit dude, wait! You're that girl from Rocky Horror right? What's her name, Argentina?"

"Are you thinking of Miss Argentina from Beetlejuice?"

"Yeah, probably." He said with a shrug. "You got any Monsters here?"

"You mean like the energy drink? I'm more of a coffee person."

"Damn. I guess I'll go buy some."

He started spinning around on the barstool and Gerard gave him a "what the hell are you doing?" kinda look.

"Didn't you have a question for me?"

"Oh shit yeah, you're right. I totally forgot honestly."

Gerard started thinking about the fact that there was a random athlete who looked like he had the attention span of a pigeon sitting in his room asking him about drama courses. The guy started asking him a bunch of random questions that were more about grading policies and course requirements, than the class itself, which kinda crushed Gerard because he wished people were as interested in Mr. Fisher's class as he was, and this guy seemed like he might have been. 

Gerard was ready to collapse in bed after he noticed that the cable box read 10:30, but he didn't wanna be rude and kick Frank out. When he cleared his throat, though, he seemed to get the hint. 

"I should get going. I'm supposed to meet my friends at some party, anyway."

"Wanna come?" He added, looking guilty for wasting Gerard's time asking a million questions that were probably answered in the application itself.

"Parties aren't really my thing. Thanks, though." He got up from his couch so he could walk Frank out.

"Wait, so are you auditioning for the play? Is that what the outfit's for?"

"Noo, I just like sitting in my apartment in shiny suits and makeup.” He paused for a moment and then realized that Frank couldn’t detect his sarcasm. “Yes, I'm signing up for the musical."

"I mean, hey, to each his own dude!"

To each his own? Who uses that phrase anymore?

"Have fun at your party, Frank."

"Have fun sitting in your apartment dressed like Columbia, Gerard," He smiled and started walking down the hallway before he could see Gerard rolling his eyes at him. 

Gerard woke up at 4:30 the next morning, and realized that he hadn't done any of his homework. 

"Shit! Shit, shit, shit, shit!"

He threw himself out of bed, and frantically looked for his laptop. It took twenty minutes to find it, and when he did, it happened to be dead. Just his luck. He was like 99% sure his first class of the day was Literature 201 and that he had an essay due. Why was college so much fucking work? 

The worst part was, he didn't even get a chance to practice for the audition, which was after school today. He had walked Frank to the door, and then he face planted in his bed; makeup still on. 

On the bright side, he got a solid five and a half hours of sleep.

He sprinted to the bathroom and scrubbed his face with a towel, which stained it, of course.  
"Damn it!" 

Once the makeup was off and he was wearing clean clothes (clean to Gerard meant washed in the last two weeks), he started his essay and history charts. 

By the time 8:00 a.m rolled around, he had bullshitted his way through a majority of the assignments- just in time for Lit. 

He shoved a granola bar in his mouth and slung his messenger bag over his shoulders. He would have to survive a day without his laptop, but that was significantly better than showing up without any of his assignments. As he was locking the door behind him, he heard a voice getting closer, until the person it belonged to was tapping him on the shoulder. "Gooood moooorning Columbia!" Gerard rubbed his temples and spun around to face Frank.

"Morning, Frank."

"Are you one of those caffeine addicts who's grumpy before they've had their morning coffee?"

"I guess you could say that."

"Well, then you're in luck, 'cause I have the perfect place for you!"

"You mean the campus cafeteria? I'll pass. Their coffee tastes like dishwater and mud."

Frank stumbled backwards and clutched his heart, pretending to act offended.

"You think I would take one of my dear friends to the shitty campus cafeteria to get coffee?" 

"I-"

He grabbed Gerard by the shoulders and shook his head slowly.

"Gerard, Gerard, Gerard. You have much to learn about me."

Gerard wasn't sure if he wanted to learn more about this eccentric little athlete who looked like he belonged in a punk-rock band, but he let Frank steer him down the staircase anyway.

"So… how was that party?"

"It fucking sucked," Frank said in a weirdly cheery way. "But that's okay, they always suck. They're just not my type of people."

"Then why did you go?"

Frank sighed and shook his head as if he couldn't believe that Gerard had no concept of what friend groups and athletes were like.

"I just had to." He glanced up at the big oak tree in the middle of the campus. The leaves were starting to turn red and brown, and crowds of students were rushing past it, wearing sweaters and holding warm drinks. "Thanks again for helping me with my application." Gerard didn't know why he was thanking him again; the whole application was pretty straight forward.

"It was nothing." 

They crossed the street on the other side of campus and Gerard stopped for a moment on the other side.

"Something wrong?"

"No, it's just weird. I've never been on this side of campus before."

"How have you never been on this side of campus before?"

"I've just never had a reason to, I guess. My apartment is on the other side, and so are all of my classes."

"We live in the same apartment, idiot. That's still weird as fuck though. This is your second year here, and you've never crossed the street?" 

"In my defense it's a big campus."

Frank snorted and grabbed Gerard's arm. 

"Come on, I have class in twenty minutes and you're gonna make me late."

They approached an old coffee shop that looked like it belonged on the set of a rom-com from 2010. The large yellow script letters in the window read "Carrie's Coffee Shop" and Gerard could see antique tables, stained glass lamps, and a cozy window seat with a bookshelf next to it. They stepped through the door and a little bell went off. The change in temperature was drastic, and Gerard immediately felt at home. There were tea cups and mugs behind the counter, below a large mirror and painting of a Victorian woman. Gerard’s reflection looked like a sheet of paper, and his bright red hair was perfectly complimenting his flushed cheeks. A girl about their age suddenly emerged from the kitchen, holding a mug covered in pink hearts, and when she saw Frank and Gerard her face lit up. 

"Frankie! I should've known you would be stopping by this morning. Who's your friend? Here, wait, can you taste test this for me?" Gerard opened his mouth to respond but Frank cut him off. 

"Carrie, give him some room! Gerard, this is my cousin Carrie, who dropped out of school to run this coffee shop with her girlfriend. Carrie, this is my friend Gerard, who goes to college with me"

"You're definitely different from the people Frank usually hangs out with. Except for his band members, of course." 

Gerard's eyes widened and Frank sighed. 

"You have a band? Wait, is that the band that was on your shirt?" 

"Yep, and it’s called Pencey Prep, but it’s more like a well kept secret. Mostly because I suck at guitar and if anyone from school found out, my band members would become the only friends I have." 

Gerard seriously doubted the fact that grown adults would stop hanging out with him because of the fact that he's in a band.

"Can you just get him a coffee to go? We're both kind of in a hurry."

"Oh, yeah, sure. What kind of coffee do you want, doll?" 

He knew he shouldn't order a black coffee, since Frank went out of his way to bring him here, so he got a pumpkin spice latte. Which actually turned out to be a great decision on his part.


	2. Brad

Gerard managed to get to his Lit class three minutes before he would've been marked late, which was a pretty big accomplishment for him. He slunk over to the far left corner of the room and dumped his bag next to the chair. The fact that there was alphabetical seating really helped, because he got to sit in the back and avoid getting called on a majority of the time. He pulled his laptop out as the last of the students filed in, looking sleep deprived or hung over, as usual. When he turned it on and it didn't start, he let out an exasperated sigh and shoved it back into his bag. He would have to take physical notes for once which sucked because he was left handed and his words always got smudged. 

"Toro.. Valdez… Way,"

Gerard looked up and gave a little wave in the professor's direction. 

"Mr. Way, please be vocal for once. Having to look around the room for you really slows down this whole attendance process. This is why we value efficiency, right students? Which brings me to my next topic. The efficiency of writing-"

He had stopped paying attention though, and was instead sketching cats with lasers coming out of their eyes, and jotting down ideas for comics. 

Something suddenly hit his head, and he spun around looking for where it came from. The guy next to him started giggling like a middle schooler and ducked down to pick up his pencil.

"What the hell is your problem?" Gerard whispered, while rubbing the side of his head. 

"What's your problem? You always sit there drawing. I think this is the first time I've heard you speak." He stuck his tongue out and squinted at his paper, mimicking the way Gerard draws. 

"I don't… I don't like volunteering." He paused for a moment as if debating whether he wanted to start an actual conversation with this guy, and then added, "Lith-" He sighed. "I have a lisp. It's hardly noticeable but I refrain from talking whenever possible. Saves me embarrassment." 

"Aww, I hardly notice it, bud!" The guy said with a wide grin. He pushed back his mop of curly hair with one hand and shook Gerard's hand with the other. 

"The name's Ray Toro." 

Gerard nodded and turned back to his drawing, but Ray kept talking. 

"By the way, I had a bad stutter as a kid. If that makes you feel any better." He was still beaming at Gerard. 

This guy was way too happy at 8:30 a.m, but Gerard could tell he was a genuinely nice person. He decided then that he liked Ray and his unique personality. 

Halfway through the period he felt something hit him again, this time it was a tiny paper airplane. He caught the post-it-note before it fell to the ground, and slowly opened it, careful not to tear it. It was a drawing of Batman except he had a tail and at the top it said 'Catman'. 

Ray was leaning in now, looking at Gerard with wide eyes, trying to gear his reaction. 

"Get it? It's like Batman, but as a cat. It's dumb, but you seem like a cat person. I thought you might like it." 

Gerard shook his head and laughed. "You're an interesting person, Ray Toro. You know that?"

"Yeah, I've been told that before." 

The class had fallen silent and Professor Graham was standing at his little podium, tapping his fingers on the wood. "Would you gentlemen kindly refrain from speaking during my lesson? Some people want to learn something, especially since they're paying to be here." 

"Sorry! It won't happen again, sir." 

Gerard shot him a sympathetic glance and actually took notes for the rest of class. 

When class ended, Professor Graham called him over to his desk. 

"Gerard, you need to learn how to participate. I can tell you are extremely smart, and gifted in the English language. It's evident in your essays, especially in your analysis of Hamlet. But this is your sophomore year of college, so you need to be actively engaged in class discussions, or your grade will suffer. No one's going to hold your hand and encourage you to come out of your shell. You need to learn how to do that yourself." 

Gerard was taken aback by the straightforwardness of his professor's words. But he was right, he needed to get his act together. 

On the way out of the classroom, he saw Ray standing on the other side of the now empty hallway. He waved to Gerard, and motioned for him to come over. He got a good look at Ray for the first time, and realized he was tall. Like, almost six feet tall. He had a really inviting smile, which contrasted his 80's slasher movie t-shirt and faded blue jeans. 

"So, wait, do you like cats?" 

Gerard furrowed his brow. "Yeah, I like cats. Why?" Ray grinned and clasped his hands together. "Great! I have this friend, and his cat just gave birth, so he has a ton of kittens that need homes. Would you be interested?"

"Wow, really? Hell yeah! I would love to take one, but I'm not sure how my landlord would react. Nothing in the lease said anything about pets." 

"I mean, take your time! No rush, they still have to be weaned and shit. But you can talk to your landlord and come pick one out next Tuesday if you want?" Gerard gripped the strap of his messenger bag and nodded. "Sounds perfect." 

They started walking towards the campus hall where the auditorium was located, and Ray turned to him. "You're auditioning for the musical? As in like, Rocky Horror?"

"What gave it away?"

"The fact that we're walking in the same direction and this is the only building on this part of the campus. I wouldn't have labeled you as a theatre guy, honestly. Definitely artsy, but not like that."

Gerard raised his eyebrows at him. "Is it because I'm shy?"

"Yeah, and well- just look at you." He motioned to Gerard's outfit; a Star Wars t-shirt, jeans, a black cardigan, and a gold necklace with a small rose on it, and Gerard grimaced. 

"Oh, I didn't mean it like that. I just meant that you don't seem super flamboyant and confident. Which isn't necessarily a bad thing." Ray pushed open the auditorium door and they both stepped through. "What role are you auditioning for? I'm going for any role honestly, mostly because I'm only doing this because I need the credits." 

Why was everyone suddenly taking drama for credits? 

"Columbia."

"You know what, now that you say it, I'm not surprised. I should've known from the hair alone." Gerard instinctively put his hand up to his hair, and Ray shook his head "No, no, I didn't mean it like that. I like it. Red suits you." 

Mr. Fisher was sitting behind the audition table. Auditions had started less than ten minutes ago, and he already looked exasperated. 

"Mr. Fisher, why is this audition at 11:00 a.m? As a senior, I feel that it should have been scheduled for when classes are over." Grace Dunham stood on the stage, pouting like a child. "I just don't see how I can perform to the best of my ability this early in the day!"

Mr. Fisher rubbed his forehead and stuck his arm out in a small waving motion. "Grace, please. This was the only time I had available; I'm teaching my next class in an hour. So if you could begin your audition, that would be great." 

She sighed and began her piece. It was some famous soliloquy, and then she led it into singing Touch-A, Touch-A, Touch Me. It was no surprise that she wanted to be Janet. Seniors- whether you're in high school or college- seem to think they're entitled to lead roles even if they don't have a talented bone in their body. 

"Gerard Way? Is he here yet?" Mr. Fisher peered over at the row of people there to audition, trying to find him. 

"I'm over here, sir! Sorry, I was held up in my literature class." He blushed and rocked back and forth on his heels.

"No need to apologize, you're right on time. Just head up on stage. You're auditioning for…?" 

"Columbia, sir." Some girls scowled when he said that, and some of the guys titled their heads in confusion. Mr. Fisher ignored the reactions of the students and waved Gerard on. 

"Ah, I see. Alright, go ahead." 

Gerard shifted his weight and stood up straight on stage, looking directly at the doors of the large auditorium. His piece was 'You Oughta Know' from Jagged Little Pill. He would say it went well, but he honestly had no idea, since he was focused on his pronunciation, and trying not to pass out. 

He finished his song, and his knees wobbled all the way down the stage stairs. He collapsed into the auditorium seat, just in time for Ray's audition. To say that it was amazing would have been an understatement. He sounded- well, he sounded angelic honestly. The piece he chose was 'Something's Coming' from West Side Story, and it fit his vocal range perfectly. The notes were rich and light at the same time, and the audience was in awe. One guy huffed in annoyance, when he realized that he couldn't compete with Ray. Even Mr. Fisher, who hardly complimented his students sat still in his chair for a moment before giving Ray a beaming, "Well done!"

Ray just smiled, nodded, and walked off the stage to where Gerard was sitting. 

"Holy. Shit."

"Was I really that-"

"YOU DIDN'T TELL ME YOU COULD SING LIKE FREDDIE MERCURY REINCARNATED!" He was right up in Ray's face, gaping at him. "Is there anything else you can do?" 

"I mean, I was in my middle school choir, and I can kinda play guitar, but I didn't think my audition was really that great." And then he added, "And besides, your audition was even better! One of the girls who wanted to audition for Columbia actually got up and left." 

Gerard didn't remember getting a reaction from the audience that was even remotely similar to Ray's, but he took his word for it. 

"Thanks, Ray. Remind me to ask to hear you play guitar one day." He gave him a small smile, and Ray flashed him a wide grin. 

"Wanna grab some lunch? I'm in the mood for pizza." 

Gerard was actually really hungry; the only thing he had consumed so far was the pumpkin spice latte from Frank. He wondered how he was doing. 

The pizza place was packed with campus students; mostly the football team ordering thirty large pies for after practice. Or before practice, considering that it wasn't even 12:00 now. Half of these people were probably skipping class. This place served the only decent pizza in New Jersey; at least Gerard thought so. The fact that he had an aunt in New York kind of ruined pizza for him, because the first time he had pizza there he knew he would never taste anything half as good in Jersey. It wasn't like Gerard had rich-people tastebuds or anything, he just knew what was absolute garbage, and what wasn't. This place had charm, too; students from their college had been going there for years. A couple of autographed photos of the owners, with graduates who later became famous, were hung up on the wall. 

The man behind the counter tipped his baseball cap to Gerard. He looked like a new employee. "What would you like, miss?" 

"Oh, I'm not-"

Ray saw this as an opportunity, and decided to run with it. "My beautiful friend, uh, Geraldine, would like two regular slices, a can of rootbeer, and a can of coke." 

"How 'bout I throw in some rainbow cookies, on the house, if she gives me her number?" He turned to Gerard. "Can I have your number?"

Gerard nodded and scribbled down a random phone number. He felt kinda bad, but free rainbow cookies sounded good. This was a once in a lifetime opportunity. 

They took their slices to go, and as soon as they got out of the pizza place, Ray absolutely lost it. 

"That. Was. Amazing." He said in between laughs. He was doubled over against the side of the building, wiping tears from his eyes. 

"You don't think we were taking advantage of that guy?" 

"Nahh. He looked new, you gotta learn the hard way not to hit on random girls who are trying to buy pizza from you. And he seemed like an entitled jerk." 

Gerard couldn't argue with that reasoning, so he just shrugged and led Ray over to a bench by the campus oak tree. 

"If you wanna be a nice person though, just politely tell him you're not interested when he calls." 

"I gave him a fake number."

"See? Nothing to worry about, then! And if he gives you a problem next time you go in, you have your super tall, intimidating friend Ray to defend you."

"I wouldn't say intimidating… you're like Big Bird."

Ray choked on his rootbeer and looked up at him. "Did you seriously just compare me to Big Bird?" 

"Ughhhh, you know what I mean, dummy. You're tall, but you also look like you would cry if a kid said something mean to you." 

"Like 'look at that high-waisted man, he's got feminine hips'?" 

"Exactly."

"So now you're comparing me to John Mulaney? Because, honestly, I think out of the two of us, you're the John Mulaney."

Gerard flicked Ray's arm and smiled. "You're probably right." 

When he looked up, he saw Frank walking by in a baseball uniform, and he had to hold in a laugh. It was white, burgundy, and yellow, and it made him look twelve. He was jogging behind his teammates, struggling to keep up with their long strides. One of the guys stopped and waited for Frank to catch up, though. 

"Ayo, Frank! You're gonna pay for the pizzas right? We're all low on cash and we would really appreciate it." Gerard watched as Frank's face fell and he started frantically digging around in his pockets for money. 

"Uh, yeah, Bob. Just give me a second. I know I brought some cash with me." He pulled out three crumpled twenties and handed them to the terrifying looking blonde baseball player. 

"Sorry that's all I-" The guy snatched the money from Frank and yelled to the rest of the team. "It's on me guys, get as many toppings as you want!" 

What the fuck? Who did this Bob guy think he was? 

Frank looked up and locked eyes with him, and Gerard opened his mouth to speak, but Frank gave him a panicked look, and dashed into the pizza place. 

"Do you know him?" Ray was leaning forward on the bench now, confused by the whole thing. 

"Yeah, we live in the same apartment building…" He trailed off and was staring at the door to the pizza place. "And I think he missed the auditions for the musical." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> wow look at me updating this 2 days in a row


	3. Eddie

Saturday was dark and rainy, and it felt more like 4:00 p.m in December, than 7:00 a.m in September. Gerard had accidentally left his window open, so a constant stream of cold air was seeping in through the crack, and he woke up shivering. His phone alarm was blaring at an obnoxiously loud volume, so he was forced to haul himself out of bed. The thought of sleeping in and ordering breakfast was way too tempting. He squinted at his phone screen, which illuminated the small, almost pitch black, bedroom. No notifications, except from Twitter, which really wasn't surprising considering the fact that he had no social life. People online seemed to think he was funny, though, which made it somewhat better. He closed the window, and proceeded to face plant into his pillow, groan, and then roll over on to the floor. 

"Maybe I could just… lay here for a while." He thought to himself.

But, of course, Mikey had to come knocking at his door. At least he assumed it was Mikey. Gerard would never understand how his brother could wake up at 6:30 a.m every morning and be ready to actually do things. Whenever Gerard questioned him about it, he would go on a rant about how sunrises really affected his pictures, which is why he always woke up early, grabbed his camera, and went for walks. He really admired Mikey's commitment to photography. If he were this committed to acting, he might be somewhere by now. He could've been a child actor, in one of those iconic movies from twenty years ago that everyone still talks about. 

"What happened to that boy, Gerard Way?"

"Who knows! But, he was great in that one movie, Cats from Space!" 

Too bad he was one of those annoying theatre nerds instead. 

He hauled himself to his feet, and stumbled out of his bedroom, towards the front door. 

"Come on man, open up! McDonald's stops serving breakfast soon!"

So it was Mikey, afterall. 

Also, McDonald's stopped serving breakfast at 11 a.m, and it was barely 7:15, so he could calm down. 

Gerard opened the door, and curled up on the couch, before Mikey could start yelling excitedly in his face. 

But it was too late. Mikey threw himself down on the couch, and repeatedly poked Gerard in the leg, until he swatted him away. 

"Morning, grumpy."

"I'm not grumpy, just tired; you know we have completely different sleep schedules, and I usually go to sleep around now. Speaking of which, my alarm went off at 7:00 a.m, and I've literally never set it for that fucking early in the morning." He grabbed the blanket next to him, and scooted further away from Mikey. 

"Why are you saying that as if I changed your alarm? I have much better things to be doing than waking my brother up too early on a Saturday."

"Uh huh."

"Look, do you want McDonald's or not? I have some news for you." He shot Gerard a sly smile. 

He sighed and sat up on the couch.

"If I get up and haul my ass to McDonald's just so you can tell me that you 'finally managed to fit your entire fist in your mouth' or some shit, I'm going to strangle you." 

Mikey rolled his eyes and threw his hands up in the air. 

"I'll meet you up front. And I tried doing that when I was twelve, by the way." He got up from the couch and headed out of the apartment. 

As soon as Gerard got outside, he lit a cigarette, which of course elicited a remark from his brother. 

"Smoking fucks up your lungs, you know that right?" 

Gerard sighed and took the cigarette out of his mouth, flicking it into the street. Mikey went out of his way to stomp on it, "just to make sure it was out."

Mikey's worry was justified, they knew too many people who suffered the consequences of long term smoking. But it relieved Gerard's anxiety, and he desperately needed that sometimes. And besides, he would quit eventually. But, Mikey was right. 

McDonald's was practically deserted, except for a few college students ordering breakfast, and elderly people who wanted to use their coupons to get coffee for $1, and then ended up sitting there for eight hours. Their cashier was a girl, who appeared to be Mikey's age. She looked like she was ready for Warped Tour. Gerard gave her one of those classic, awkward, white person smiles, and she just looked back and forth between the two brothers, and sighed. 

"What can I get you?" She said in the most monotonous voice Gerard had ever heard. Mikey was staring at her like she was the most beautiful person he had ever seen, and Gerard internally rolled his eyes. Was this the news? Mikey was in love with a girl who looks like she should be working at Hot Topic instead of McDonald's? 

"I'll take oatmeal with fruit, a hashbrown, and a small black coffee. And a bacon, egg, and cheese sandwich and frappuccino for my brother." Gerard ordered for Mikey, because he was still gaping at the poor girl. 

"Your total's $12.37. Take this number, and they'll bring the food to your table." Mikey glanced over his shoulder as they were walking over to the booth and gave her a small wave. Gerard thought he actually saw the girl blush. 

He dropped the number on the table, and sat down, not bothering to take his coat off, because he was constantly freezing. 

"Alright, what's the news?" 

Mikey was still peering over the booths, looking at the cashier. "Hmm? Oh! The news, yeah." Gerard raised an eyebrow at him. 

"Okay, so about those auditions. I was walking to my Biology class, and I saw that guy; Mr. Fisher. I could tell it was him right away, y'know, you theatre people all-" 

"Mikey, please." Gerard said in exasperation. 

"Right, right sorry. So I talked to him and asked him about the auditions and I may or may not have found out that you were casted as Columbia."

"WHAT?" Coffee shot out of his nose, and he wiped it away with his sleeve. "Dude, are you serious? Holy shit. Holy shit!"

"Yup." He said popping the "p" and grinning. "Congratulations Gee! This is amazing, compared to last year when you got stuck as a stagehand for Cinderella, and ending up accidentally smacking the girl in the face with a broom." 

"It wasn't my fault! The space was really narrow, and she was rushing to change for the next scene."

"Tell that to her black eye," he said, reaching over and taking a bite out of Gerard's hashbrown. 

Mikey left soon after delivering the news, and Gerard was alone, with no one to tell. That was one of the bad aspects of having no friends, you had no one to brag to. He wanted to call Ray, and he was about to, but then he realized that he didn't even have Ray's phone number. 

So he walked back to his apartment instead; suddenly in a bad mood. The stairs creaked and a draft came in from all sides, and it made Gerard wonder why he ever even chose to live here in the first place. 

When he was almost at the top of the many flights of stairs, he could see a familiar orangey mess of hair across the hall. As he reached the top step, he realized it was Frank sitting on the floor, slowly banging on his front door.

"Come on guys. Let me innnnn. Just open the fucking door alreadyyyy. I said I was sorry. Open the dooooor." The sound of Gerard approaching made Frank lower his arm and blush in embarrassment. "Sorry you have to see me like this, they won't me in because I said that Josh's haircut was fucking ugly. And then Bob threw me out. I was just being honest!" 

"I'm sure you were," he said, standing there awkwardly with his hands in his coat. "Wanna come in for awhile? At least until they let you back in?" 

Frank got up, nodded enthusiastically, and dusted off his jeans. "Thanks man, I owe you one." He patted Gerard on the back as Gerard struggled to unlock his door, and Gerard just sighed. 

"Does this cable box work?" he asked, already making himself at home in Gerard's living room. 

"What do you mean, 'does it work'?" 

"Well, we have a TV, and a cable box and shit, and we all chip in for it, but we only hook up gaming systems to it." 

"Why would you pay for a cable box if you don't use it?"

"I dunno man, Bob says it's broken, and I don't question it."

"So, what you're telling me is that Bob makes you all chip in for a cable box that you don't even use? Dude, he's pocketing the money."

"Well shit, now I feel like an idiot." 

Gerard rubbed his forehead and walked into the kitchen. Sometimes he wondered how Frank was able to survive freshman year. He had like, three brain cells in total. 

"Do you want something to eat?" He asked while scanning his fridge for anything edible. "I have, uhhh, frozen tater tots, waffles, half a banana, half an iced coffee, and some cheese slices which are probably really old." 

"Wow, you eat like a king here, Gerard. Many options… so hard to choose…" Gerard shot him a glare, so he added, "I'll take the tater tots and iced coffee." 

"Good choice, since those are probably the most edible things you could've picked." 

Gerard didn't know how to heat up frozen tater tots, so he just threw them in the microwave, but he didn't think Frank would mind. He seemed like the type of person who would eat a peanut butter, pickle, and Dorito sandwich if he was desperate enough. 

Frank sat there for a while eating his tater tots and watching some Jersey reality show, and Gerard decided to finally ask him about the auditions. 

"I know you saw me yesterday." 

Frank looked up at him, mouth full of tater tots. 

"Yeah, I saw you too. It wasn't like I was ignoring you, I just didn't want you to think I was a fucking pushover." 

"I didn't- I actually wanted to ask about the auditions. Why didn't you show up?" 

"Oh, so now you're gonna make it seem like I bailed on you? I never said I was auditioning, I just said I had to take the course."

"Yeah but I just thought-" 

"I don't wanna talk about it!"

"You would make such a good Eddie th-"

"I said I don't wanna talk about it!" he said, his voice tense as he put the plate down beside him. "God. Y'know what? I'm gonna go."

"Did I say something? I was just curious, I really think-"

"Bye Gerard. Thanks for the tater tots." He got up, and left before Gerard could even process what had happened. What the hell was that all about? 

He spent the rest of the day worrying about Frank. Was he okay? Did he really upset him that much? All he asked was why he didn't show up to the auditions. He felt like a shitty friend, and a shitty person overall. 

It was after 11:00 p.m and Gerard sat on his couch staring back and forth, at the cable box and the front door, trying to listen for any sign of Frank coming back. His roommates could've let him back into his apartment, but it looked like he was walking towards the stairs when he left. He put his coat on and headed out of his apartment building; he had to look for him and apologize for whatever he said that made him get up and leave so suddenly. 

He was about five blocks from campus when he heard sniffling. He followed the sound and found Frank sitting on a low stone wall that surrounded one of the wealthiest homes in this part of town. Gerard jumped up and sat down beside him, careful not to say anything until Frank wanted to talk. Frank scooted closer to him on the wall, and grabbed his hand, lacing his fingers with Gerard's. Gerard wasn't sure how to comfort Frank, so he sat still as Frank rested his head on Gerard's chest and began to sob. 

"I'm sorry."

Gerard squeezed his hand. "Sorry for what? Don't be sorry, I shouldn't have asked about the auditions and stuff, when it clearly upset you." 

"I'm sorry for storming off. I should've explained, but I got upset and didn't want you to see me cry. But here we are, and I'm crying like a fucking kid." He laughed and wiped his nose. "But I owe you an explanation at least."

"You don't have to." Gerard said gently. 

Frank shook his head and looked up at the sky full of bright little stars. "When I was a kid I loved theater. Like absolutely fucking loved it; for whatever reason. I was in all of the school's plays because y'know, we all had to participate in them. But I actually wanted to do them. One year I was even Robin Hood." He giggled and gave a wistful look. "My parents started to realize that I wasn't outgrowing my interest as I got older. My mom was kinda okay with it, I guess, but my dad couldn't stand it. They called me all sorts of shitty things- so did my cousins and friends. Just- everyone. My dad made me join my town's baseball team towards the end of middle school. I was good but God, I hated it. I hated it with every ounce of my being, but I guess that hate made me a better batter. That's what my dad always said, at least. 'Use your anger'. It was bullshit. But yeah, long story short, I played through the end of middle school, and all of high school, and now here I am. And I'm miserable. My 'friends' treat me like garbage. I miss my theatre friends, and the thrill of standing on stage, waiting for the curtain to rise. The feeling of yelling 'thank you five!' when they told you it was five minutes to curtain up." 

Gerard stared at Frank with eyes full of sympathy. His heart hurt for this short, punk-rock, musical kid who was forced to be an athlete. "Let's go home." Was all he could say, and Frank nodded. He knew that Gerard understood. The walk back to their apartment building was in silence, but it was a comfortable silence. Frank had opened up to Gerard, and Gerard had realized that he needed to help Frank embrace his interests and be himself.

That night Gerard wrote a lengthy email to his professor about Frank, stating that if Frank wasn't given the last open role available as Eddie, Gerard wouldn't play Columbia. Gerard hit send, and shut his laptop, feeling hopeful for once. 

The stars outside of his window seemed extra bright that night. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> writing this chapter made me kinda sad, which is why i resolved it all quickly :)


End file.
